FORT COLLINS – It didn’t take Colorado State head coach Steve Fairchild 10 minutes to take the suspense out of which quarterback will start Saturday’s game against the Air Force Academy.

It’ll be true freshman Garrett Grayson again.

“Garrett’s our starting quarterback,” Fairchild said. “Like I’ve said all along, I was going to play Garrett (in the final three games) regardless of (Pete Thomas’) situation. I want to make sure he gets the chance to play. I think we owe that to him. We’ll just see if Pete is available.”

Thomas, who missed last weekend’s game with a sprained knee, did not practice today. He remains day-to-day.

FORT COLLINS – As the games wind down to the end of the season, talk about the direction of the football program continues to take center stage.

Colorado State coach Steve Fairchild was asked about the health of the football team, which has lost six straight games and owns a 3-7 record (1-4 MWC) in a season that it hoped would end in a bowl berth.

“If we just keep recruiting and bringing those types of kids into the program, I am very confident that we can get CSU football back where it belongs,” Fairchild said.

FORT WORTH, Texas – Part of the allure to travel far from home to play college football for kids from different states is the opportunity to go back home – or near home – to play in front of family and friends.

Colorado State players’ mad scramble for tickets for Saturday’s game against TCU, a pursuit that started before the season for some, illustrates the point. It’s a game they all had circled. Thirty-seven percent of the team is from Texas.

But this will be the last regular appearance in the Lone Star State for most of the players on this team. This is TCU’s last season in the Mountain West Conference, as it departs for the Big 12 next season.

FORT COLLINS – Colorado State quarterback Pete Thomas has been reluctantly comfortable in an overseer role during practices this week, throwing passes in street clothes on the sideline and helping freshman Garrett Grayson get ready for the first start of his career.

Because while CSU coach Steve Fairchild refuses to close the door on Thomas, who has a sprained knee, potentially playing Saturday at No. 19 TCU, Thomas knows otherwise. He is walking without a limp or much pain but cannot seriously plant to throw the football. And if that’s the case, then playing this week is not possible.

“You can tell that it’s not fully there,” Thomas said.

As such, Thomas is set to miss his first game as a player at Colorado State. He’s started every game of his Rams career, 21 in all, and claims he’s not missed a game on any level since he was a freshman in high school.

“I kind of forgot that feeling (of missing a game),” Thomas said. “I don’t like it at all.”

Meanwhile, Grayson has had a good week of practice. In fact, he called Tuesdays session “honestly, the best practice I’ve had so far.”

He followed that up with another good session on Wednesday. He has taken all of the starter’s reps.

“I don’t think I had as good a practice (as Tuesday’s)…but I feel like I got better,” Grayson said. “Everybody’s been behind me, they’ve all been cheering me on.”

Grayson’s last start came at Heritage High School Vancouver, Wash., in 2010. He said his career there began in much the same manner as his at CSU is taking place. At Heritage, he was tossed into a game when the starter was injured, and then he started the following week. He ended up throwing for over 10,000 yards in his prep career.

Thomas will get the starting job back when he’s ready to play, but certainly could be faced with competition in the spring if Grayson performs well this week against TCU and any subsequent games he starts and/or plays in.

However, that is a situation that will work itself out after the season. Colorado State (3-6, 1-3 MWC) has three games remaining in this campaign, forced to win them all to realize a very slim chance the team has of still becoming bowl eligible.

An effective Grayson is a big key to a good effort against TCU, and Thomas will be there to help. The two have already studied film together, as Grayson faces one of the nation’s best defenses.

“I’m trying to help him as much as I can, but I don’t want to step on his toes too much,” Thomas said. “He plays a certain way, and I play a certain way. I’m just trying to help him, keep him calm. I know he’ll do fine, he’s a competitor.”

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FORT COLLINS – Cornerback Elijah-Blu Smith was a conspicuous absence at Wednesday’s practice. He has been missed on the field on Saturdays as well recently, as the senior has watched his season erode with a torn shoulder that most definitely needs surgery.

He’s tried gutting it out, suiting up for Colorado State to make himself available in any situation coaches felt was perfect to fit him in. But that has turned into two straight games of not playing at all. And with NFL dreams dancing through his head, Smith’s best course of action might be to shut it down for the remainder of the season, which would effectively end his career.

CSU coach Steve Fairchild wouldn’t go as far as to say Smith would definitely not return to play another game this season, but acknowledged the grim nature of the situation.

“It’s not looking good for him to come back,” Fairchild said. “But I don’t want to put any finality on it right now. He had that shoulder issue as far back as the summer. He played through it, courageously, but you can only do so much.”

In an interview with The Denver Post last month, Smith revealed the true nature of what he’s been dealing with, and admitted then that he was playing through it for the sake of the team.

“It’s pretty shot right now,” Smith said. “But I’m out there. I’m just doing what I can for my team. It’s my last year so I’m going to play as much as I can…They are putting me out there in situations to succeed. But it’s pretty bad. This is my surgery shoulder. I pretty much re-tore it and I’ve got to deal with it after the season.”

Texas Christian coach Gary Patterson began preparing his players’ minds for this week’s game against Colorado State long before the schedule said he had to.

“I told our team one of the toughest ballgames we have – win or lose the Boise State game – was going to be this one right before Thanksgiving,” Patterson said on today’s Mountain West coaches teleconference. “It always is, no matter what the record.”

Patterson was being a tad generous, given the 7-1 record TCU has all-time against CSU with the average score of all of those games being TCU 32, CSU 13. But you get the point. He has respect for what the Rams bring to the table.

And then there is this: Patterson’s team is coming off an emotional win over then-national title hopeful Boise State last week. Yes, he is worried about a letdown from that contest.

“Yeah,” Patterson said, “because every time we play Colorado State it’s always a physical ball game. Both tailbacks for San Diego State aren’t going to play this week. Colorado State’s always played us well; it’s always been a physical battle.”

TCU has won seven straight games in the series, including a 27-0 win in Fort Collins last season. With TCU leaving the Mountain West for the Big 12 next season, this could be the last time these two teams meet in a very long time, if ever again.

Patterson says he’s seen these Rams get better over the course of the season.

“I never look at records when it comes to all of that stuff, anyway,” Patterson said. “I always look at how teams are playing, and Colorado State has improved as they have gone through the season. For me, the respect I have for Steve Fairchild and Larry Kerr the defensive coordinator, staff, and what they do has always been very high. Way back before he was a head coach. So we’re getting ready for this ballgame like we’ve gotten ready for every ball game.”

Asked what concerns him in particular about the Rams, Patterson didn’t hesitate.

“To knock out both running backs against San Diego State and hold them to 18 points, I think is quite a mark,” he said. “They always scare us on offense because of the vertical package they have, all the screens, all the double moves. Every year for that week it’s always working hard on how you stop the run and then how do you stop everything else.

“And they’ve played some young players on special teams the last couple of weeks and they’re playing real hard. It’s like every Colorado State team, whether it has been Steve Fairchild or Sonny Lubick, which (Fairchild) was part of his staff; they always give you their ‘A’ game. That’s what you’re going to get when you play them, and we always had high respect for what they do there and the kind of players they have.”

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FORT COLLINS – Colorado State quarterback Pete Thomas and his sprained left knee is “day-to-day” according to coach Steve Fairchild, who isn’t sure if he’ll have the sophomore this week against TCU.

Should Thomas not be able to start, it would A) snap his streak of 21 consecutive games started; and B) pave the way for freshman Garrett Grayson to make the first start of his career. Fairchild described Thomas’s knee sprain as being similar to that of offensive lineman Paul Madsen’s a few weeks ago.

If that ends up being the case, Thomas will not play this week. Madsen missed a game before returning the following week.

“We’ll know more as he gets checked out,” Fairchild said. “We’ll see how available he is on Tuesday. It does not look to be season-ending I don’t think.”

Fairchild said Thomas’s availability for Saturday’s game doesn’t depend on the quarterback practicing by a certain day of the week, rather how he looks if he does practice. Either way, Grayson – a player that has a lot of buzz among fans – will get at least share of live practice repetitions as the Rams prepare to face Mountain West-leading TCU in Fort Worth. And even if Thomas does return, Fairchild pledged to play the strong-armed Grayson to some extent anyway.

“He’ll play now. He’ll play some in every game,” Fairchild said. “We’ve got to commit to him. Even when Pete’s back, be it this week or next week, whenever, I think Garrett deserves the right to play in the games and we’ll do that.”

Meanwhile, the Rams also have injury issues with Madsen (sprained ankle) and center Weston Richburg (broken hand). Their status will be determined as the week progresses. Richburg’s injury is to his snapping hand, so either he’ll snap with his left hand or be moved somewhere else on the offensive line to play or not play at all.

“Anything is possible at this point,” Fairchild said.

Finally, linebacker Mychal Sisson is going to try again to get back on the field and play since breaking his right ankle on Sept. 10 against Northern Colorado. Sisson, a senior, originally targeted this game as his return contest. It looked as if he might beat that by a week when he returned to practice last week, but was held out for precautionary reasons.

“I would say he’s got a chance but I think we’ll know a lot more tomorrow,” Fairchild said.

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FORT COLLINS – Colorado State linebacker Mychal Sisson went through practice a second time on Wednesday, this time in full pads, and has been declared a game-time decision by head coach Steve Fairchild.

Still, Fairchild sounded like he might rather hold the all-conference linebacker out another week.

“We’ll see,” Fairchild said. “We’ll talk with (head trainer) Terry DeZeeuw. I’d be very surprised. … Terry’s being cautious, Myke’s being aggressive. The right things will happen. I think TCU and Air Force are more realistic goals. But we’ll see.”

Sisson practiced on Tuesday and reported no pain from the session. He did some hitting and change-of-direction work and was pleased with the outcome. Wednesday he went through scout team and 7-on-7 work.

Sisson said he’d be available even if it was for only a few plays, something that has crossed Fairchild’s mind.

“I thought about that yesterday,” Fairchild said. “I thought even if we got a few snaps out of him that would be kind of a nice thing. But we don’t want to put him out there until he’s ready and we don’t need to make that decision right now.”

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FORT COLLINS – A growing restlessness among Colorado State fans about the team’s play and the direction of the program has started to spill into questions in press conferences.

CSU coach Steve Fairchild took one such query on Monday, during his weekly press conference on campus. Fairchild, whose team has bowl aspirations but owns a 3-5 record going into the final quarter of the season, was asked if he had a message to frustrated fans.

This is what he said: “We’re working hard. I’d like to think this is a better football team than the record shows, but we are nicked up. We’re getting a roster here that will help us get to the top of the league. I think the kids see it; they sense that. We’ll just keep working.”

Fairchild was asked if he thought the team is better now than we he took over four years ago.

“I think this whole program’s better,” he said. “And it’s not me it’s the way assistant coaches have recruited, it’s the way the administration has helped facilities and resources. I’ve said all along I wish it had happened quicker but it’s going to happen and we’ll get it done.”

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FORT COLLINS – Surprises came all around when Paul Madsen took the field at his usual right tackle slot for CSU against UNLV on Oct 29.

CSU coach Steve Fairchild was surprised at how long the senior, who missed the previous game with a sprained knee, was able to play.

Madsen was surprised at how good he felt.

“I definitely feel like I played more (than I thought),” Madsen said. “I went into that game thinking I was going to play every other series, or maybe a quarter or two. But I got out there and I felt good enough that I only took two series off. I felt really good.”

How thin is the line between Colorado State’s current 3-5 record and one that could have been 4-4, 5-3 or better?

Razor thin.

Colorado State starts a stretch run of football games this week at home against San Diego State. It cannot change the previous month of games where a considerable number of shortcomings have left it desperately seeking solutions to get back on track.

These are by no means the only ones, but had this group of plays gone CSU’s way, the conversation of coach Steve Fairchild’s status beyond this season and all of the things that ail the Rams right now probably would have taken a back seat.

Four games remain, starting Nov. 12 at home against San Diego State, and CSU’s season goals – and perhaps coach Steve Fairchild’s job security – all hinge on how the team plays in those contests.

No matter what those outside the program think of Fairchild and the job he’s done, quarterback Pete Thomas says that he, and the team, remain behind the coach and continue believe in the direction of the CSU football program.

“Yeah, definitely,” Thomas said. “I think coach Fairchild and all the coaches are doing a great job. It’s us players that aren’t living up to our potential and playing the way we need to be, and it gets reflected on the head coach. It’s not fair, and us players have to step up and play better.

“We play better and that conversation doesn’t come up.”

Currently, CSU has a well-documented four-game losing streak. The Rams are 3-5, 1-2 in Mountain West Conference play. It’s conjuring up many of the same frustrations of 2009 and 2010, which CSU finished a disappointing 3-9 in each one.

Thomas disagrees with a growing faction of fans that want a coaching change.

“Those are fans; they say a lot of stuff,” he said. “You just can’t pay attention to that. You just have to control what you can control and that’s winning games.”

Thomas has had an up-and-down season thus far, throwing for 1,581 yards, seven touchdowns and eight interceptions. He’s completed 158-of-254 passes (62.2 percent). On the surface, many observers feel he’s not being coached as intensely by Fairchild this season as he did during Thomas’s freshman campaign. Not so, says Thomas.

“He has changed a lot, but he’s still the same in the film room, coaching you,” Thomas said. “Giving you praise when you need to, criticizing you when you need to. He’s a great coach, not only on the field but in the film room. I think he’s an even better coach in the film room.

“I think I’m getting coached even harder than I was. He’s just doing it in a different way.”

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FORT COLLINS – Colorado State punter Pete Kontodiakos is one of 54 nominees in the running for the Ray Guy Award, announced by the Greater Augusta Sports Council on Tuesday.

The award is given to the nation’s top punter. Ten semifinalists will be announced on Nov. 11. Three finalists will be revealed on Nov. 21. The winner will be crowned on Dec. 8 during the Home Depot College Football Awards show.

Kontodiakos, a junior, has been solid for the Rams this season. He leads the Mountain West and ranks 21st in the nation with a 44.0-yard gross average. His kicks have also helped CSU tie for MWC lead in net punting, with a 39.7-yard average. He was a preseason second-team all-conference selection by coaches and media.

New Mexico — There’s nothing wrong with winless New Mexico that couldn’t be cured with 21 other clones of linebacker Carmen Messina. Well, at least one is coming.

Despite the 42-0 knockdown by Air Force, KOB-TV in Albuquerque reported Messina tweeted:

“I’m proud to say that Anthony Messina gave a verbal commitment today to the University of New Mexico… better athlete than me, a smarter player then me ,& a player who loves the game just as much if not more than me. Lobo blood runs deep”

FORT COLLINS – The most prudent course of action, Colorado State coach Steve Fairchild knows, is to be ready for anything.

In this case, the subject centers on UNLV’s quarterbacks. The Rebels have two that have started games – sophomore Caleb Herring, who started the Rebels’ first five games; and junior Sean Reilly, who started UNLV’s last contest, against Wyoming.

Herring came out of the season as the starter and is considered a prototypical dual-threat quarterback, but his ineffectiveness throwing the football made him, well, less dual. After he completed 1-of-14 passes for eight yards and an interception in a 37-0 loss at Nevada, Reilly was given the starting job against Wyoming.

FORT COLLINS – Colorado State coach Steve Fairchild has long said he doesn’t care who carries the football or how the attempts are split, just as long as certain numbers and effectiveness comes out of the running game.

Well…

Through seven games CSU’s rushing attack has failed to produce any kind of consistent results. In the week leading up to the UTEP contest, competition was opened up and the philosophy of how carries were to be doled out was altered.

Sophomore Chris Nwoke looked best that week, and because of it he didn’t just get to start against the Miners, he took the majority of the handoffs in the game. He took 23 of the team’s 33 handoffs and turned those carries into a single-game season-high 93 yards, a 4.0 per rush average.

Prior to that game, senior Raymond Carter usually started and the duo switched off getting the carries by series. Against UTEP, Carter carried the ball nine times for 42 yards, a 4.7 per carry average.

CSU’s offensive line has been hit harder than any other position by injuries this season. The Rams hope to get senior tackle Paul Madsen back for Saturday’s game at UNLV. He missed CSU’s last game, at UTEP, with a sprained knee. Should he return, it would give the Rams additional depth and experience back on the line.

But if Madsen doesn’t return and the team suffers another injury on the line they may have to play Frieler, the 6-5, 295-pound former Denver Post All-Colorado player for Greeley West in 2009.

EL PASO, TX – Colorado State has suspended senior safety Ivory Herd and he will not play in the Rams’ game at UTEP tonight, the team announced today. Herd, who did not make the trip to El Paso with the team, is suspended indefinitely for what was called a violation of team rules.

The Rams will miss Herd, who is fourth on the team in tackles with 30 – the top tackler in the CSU secondary – and a team captain. He also had one interception. This summer, CSU nominated him for the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team, awarded to players that are the strongest in off-the-field character and leadership among college football players.

CSU has not settled in on a starter in his place, but will most likely be sophomore Ezra Thompson or freshman Drew Reilly. Thompson was reinstated from suspension himself this season prior to the Utah State game. He has 14 tackles in three games. Reilly has four tackles in six games this season.

FORT COLLINS – On Aaron Davis’ right leg is a hefty knee brace, one that he’s already fond of calling the “bionic leg.”

It’s there mostly for peace of mind for the CSU freshman linebacker, who suffered a slightly hyper-extended knee in the Rams’ game against Boise State last weekend. There was some initial question whether he would be available to play on Saturday at Texas-El Paso, but that was put to rest when he participated fully in practice on Tuesday.

“I’m good,” Davis said. “I’ve got this bionic leg on, but it’s fine. It wasn’t anything major; it was more of a scare than anything. It was a slight hyper-extension. Nothing big.”

As for getting used to moving around with the brace, Davis said he’s not worried.

Kensler joined The Denver Post in 1989 and has covered a variety of beats, including Colorado, Colorado State, golf, Olympics and the Denver Broncos. His brush with greatness: losing in a two-on-two pickup basketball game at Ohio State against two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin.

Terry Frei graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in the Denver area and has degrees in history and journalism from the University of Colorado-Boulder. He worked for the Rocky Mountain News while attending CU and joined the Post staff after graduation. He has also worked at the Oregonian in Portland, Ore., and The Sporting News. His seventh book, March 1939: Before the Madness, was issued in February 2014.